It’s hip to be healthy at Fresch

WHATEVER dietary lifestyle you follow, there’s no denying that a super-fresh healthy meal nourishes not just your body but your soul.

Founded by Adam Reilly, since its inception in 2015 Fresch Foods has expanded from pop-up stalls at markets to a café in Muizenberg, and is now located in the surf and skate shop, Board Hub, at the top of Long Street.

The menu bursts with fun flavours and food packed with nutritious, locally sourced produce – seasonal, free of GMOs, additives, preservatives, artificial colourants or flavourings. Smoothie bowls like the Piesang Power – banana, mamadamia nut butter, cacao nibs, almond milk and cinnamon – are the signature dishes, and can be had in solid or liquid form; the Choco-Deluxe with “wazoogle chocolate moondust” sounds intriguing. Other items include bagels, salads/wraps, and cold-pressed juices. Good to know is that all the weird and wonderful needs are catered for: vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, gluten-free…

As you can have your smoothie in a bowl or a cup, so you can have your salad in a bowl or a wrap. I was delighted to discover these wraps are gluten-free and carb-free at the same time (which is often but not always the case). I don’t have any issues with gluten, and frankly that is a very sensitive subject since studies and experiments have shown that most people who claim an intolerance are in fact, not adversely affected by it at all. But that’s for another day.

As a foundation for the salads and wraps, you can choose from three quinoa bases with different accompaniments, or two lettuce-based ones. I had lettuce, rocket, basil, tomato, cucumber and avo with red pesto, and added chicken. Smoked trout and egg are also options. Or you could have them all, I suppose.

When choosing my beverage, much discussion and negotiation with the lovely lady behind the counter ensued, which went along the lines of “how much celery is in the juice? Two sticks! Do I have to have that much? I don’t like celery at all.” Unless it’s cooked into a nice rich tomato sauce or stew as part of the mirepoix. The result was she didn’t put any celery in my juice, but only the spinach, cucumber, mint, and a probiotic shot. Apparently that is good for me.

According to the Google, “probiotics are microorganisms that many believe provide health benefits when consumed.” Maybe one day I’ll tell you about the BBC Lifestyle documentary I watched which basically destroyed almost every health food myth in a calm and logical way. Another story for another time.

With me was Allison Foat aka Cape Town Diva, who had a smoothie bowl, a wrap, and a cup of matcha tea she claimed she never ordered. It was too much for her to finish (those bowls are pretty damn big), so together with what was left of my green juice, she asked them to blend it all together. The nice lady behind the counter looked at her as if she was mad (which she is sometimes, but in the best possible way), but did it anyway. And it was surprisingly tasty.

All the food at Fresch is served in biodegradable containers (whether you take away or eat in), and all food waste is turned into compost and fed back into the soil. There would simply be no point in giving us healthy food without taking the environmental consciousness just as seriously. Now they just need to get rid of the plastic.

Fresch Foods inside Board Hub is at 309, Long Street, Cape Town. It’s open Mondays to Fridays 7.30am till 6pm and Saturdays 9am till 3pm. For more information, email info@freschfoods.co.za (the WhatsApp pre-order line will be released soon), follow on Instagram @fresch_foods, or click here.